OMI presses hunt for victim records

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A forensic dentist with the Office of the Medical Investigator said Tuesday a reminder was sent out recently to doctors statewide to compare patient records with a list of missing women.

Dr. Peter Loomis hopes it will help identify the last four sets of remains in the West Mesa mystery.

So far seven of the bodies uncovered in the west mesa earlier this year have been identified as women who went missing between 2000 and 2005.

Loomis said OMI sent a list of women who disappeared in that time frame to dentists.

"There are still 10 or eleven 11 that we still don't have dental records on," Loomis said.

It's been weeks since an identification has been made. Investigators with the Albuquerque Police Department told News 13 the more names and faces they can put with the bodies the closer they will be to finding out who buried the bodies.

"Each time we identify someone that just gets us a little bit closer to patterns or to locations or to acquaintances," said Cmdr. Paul Feist. "That one piece of information that one dentist may have out there could crack this entire case."

Loomis said a reminder was sent to dentists a few days ago because they have hope someone out there may have dental records of a missing woman that may be one of the West Mesa victims.

"Dental identification is still the best," he said.

If not with dental records, investigators hope DNA extracted from the bones can identify the last sets of remains.

Feist said the West Mesa killer likely targeted young women with high-risk lifestyles. The women who have been identified had a history of prostitution or drugs.

As OMI works on identifying victims, Feist continues to dig for information. He's on the task force that was created to solving this case.

Investigators are certain they will identify the remaining victims despite someone's effort to keep them buried.

"We are still out there scouring the mesa through satellites and through imaging, and checking other sites just to make sure everything that we think we knew is still accurate or did we miss something," he said. "It is very important, it's not only important to the investigation, but to the families."